Jockstrip: The world as we know it

NEWTON, W.Va., Jan. 18 (UPI) -- A West Virginia grandmother thinks justice went astray when she spent a night in jail because she told off a family member for growing marijuana.

Linda Beglar, 54, said she "just came unglued" when she confronted the family member about the discovery of a marijuana patch on the family farm in Newton.

But, she insists she didn't become physical with the unidentified 41-year-old relative, the Charleston Daily Mail reported Tuesday.

The relative complained to police that Beglar had ripped his shirt and scratched him, and State Trooper G.K. Walsh arrived at her door with a warrant for her arrest.

Walsh agreed not to handcuff Beglar in front of her visiting granddaughter, and took her to a county jail, where she was held overnight.

"I cried and we talked," Beglar said. "He was sympathetic and said, 'You know the law doesn't always work for the innocent.'"

The marijuana patch has since disappeared, the report said.

Australians can call their boots 'uggs'

PERTH, Australia, Jan. 18 (UPI) -- Australian makers of sheepskin boots have every right to call their boots ugly -- or "ugg" for short -- the country's trademark authority has decided.

IP Australia said the name "ugg," or "ugh," referring to a popular type of sheepskin boots, would be removed from the Australian register of trademarks, meaning it is now a generic name, The Australian reported Tuesday.

The term originated in Australia in the late 1960s as a short form of "ugly," referring to the fleecy boots. The name was registered as a trademark in the early 1970s and bought by U.S. company Deckers in 1995.

Deckers took legal action in 2003 to prevent local companies using the name "ugg," but Perth retailers Bronwyn and Bruce McDougall filed a claim in December 2003 to win back their name.

Trademark hearings officer Ian Thompson said the evidence overwhelmingly supported the interchangeable use of "ugg," "ugh" and "ug" as the most natural way to describe the boots.

Bronwyn McDougall described the decision as a "moral victory for all Australians."

But the McDougalls' lawyer, David Stewart, said Deckers still owned the trademark in other jurisdictions, including the United States.

Parrot gives away girlfriend's infidelity

HEADINGLEY, England, Jan. 18 (UPI) -- Two relationships have ended in England because an African gray parrot tipped off his owner that his girlfriend was cheating on him.

Chris Taylor, 30, was not suspicious at first when his parrot Ziggy imitated his girlfriend's voice, saying "Hi, Gary," every time her cell phone rang. He also found it funny when Ziggy made wet kissing sounds when the name Gary was mentioned on television.

The Mirror reported the last straw was when Taylor and Suzy Collins, 25, began snuggling on the couch, and Ziggy murmured "I love you, Gary."

Collins confessed to having a four-month affair with a co-worker, then bolted from the house, and later moved out.

Collins had to find a new owner for Ziggy, too, as the bird wouldn't stop talking about Gary.

"I know I'll get over Suzy but I don't think I'll ever get over Ziggy," he said.

Jury summons issued for 2-year-old

NEW BEDFORD, Mass., Jan. 18 (UPI) -- Kaylee Reynolds was looking forward to jury duty June 30 in Taunton District Court in Massachusetts -- she just hoped she'd be able to take her nap.

The two-year-old girl received a jury summons recently, the New Bedford Standard-Times reports.

"I thought it was a joke when a summons from the Office of the Jury Commissioner arrived with Kaylee's name on it," the toddler's mother, Patricia, told the newspaper. "Then I read it, and I was like, 'Ooookayyyy ...'"

Massachusetts Jury Commissioner Pamela J. Wood chuckled over the error, saying the commission would give Kaylee a "16-year grace period" before she is required to make her appearance.

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